There are no small insights

There are no small insights…

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras remind us that everything is a means for self-study, that in every opportunity, there is the possibility for insight. In yoga, we call this practice of self-study Svadhyaya, and it forms the core of how we make sense of our experience in the world. Often times we might feel like we don’t know who we are, where we are headed or what we want to be. We might feel that the answer to this feeling of being ‘lost’ is to escape, take an ‘Eat Pray Love’ type retreat or to willfully lose ourselves by numbing that feeling through food, alcohol or other distractions. By practicing Svadhyaya, we are taught to find the answers to these questions right where we are – through a job, paying the bills, taking out the trash, walking the dog, getting to our yoga mat – as a way of connecting more deeply with what moves us, what we need and why. Found this way, insight might seem small, quiet almost, hiding in the corner of the everyday and mundane. But we don’t need a guru with fancy spiritual robes for an awesome a-ha moment. Instinct and intuition find us when we become aware of what and where our core is, and are able to act from that very wisdom center of our being. Self-awareness teaches us to take responsibility for our reactions, to notice our habits and to move from a place that feels centered, stable and true to who we are. That is the purpose of yoga.

Taking Svadhyaya as our inspiration throughout October, join us each Wednesday at 7:30-8:45pm to dive into a practice that will focus on developing awareness from our center. Our physical core keeps us upright in standing postures, enables backward bending with integrity, and teaches us how to maintain balance so that we may flirt with flight. Inevitably, our physical practice is only ever as good as the emotional and spiritual learning happening on and off the mat. Where can I grow? What will lighten my load? How can I serve? Asking these questions is the essence of Svadhyaya: the answers will come, action will follow, and transformation and growth are never far behind.

There are no small insights.
See you on your mat.